Collapsible wardrobe



- Dec. 21, 1943. M H. DERMAN 2,337,154

COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE FiledV Oct. 29, 1941 f 43 INVENTOR /M/w E/m/m/v ATTORNE;

Patented Dec. 21, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE WARDROBE Harry Berman, Laurelton, Long Island, N. Y. Application October 29, 1941, Serial No. 416,925

2 Claims.

This invention relates to collapsible or knockdown wardrobes wherein the wall structure is composed of foldably or detachably related parts facilitating compact packing and shipment thereof as well as ease in assemblage of the parts in constructing the wardrobe, and the object of the invention is to provide an article of manufacture of the class described, employing individual door members of substantially similar form and construction, wherein each door member comprises a frame in which a panel forming sheet is mounted, with means at upper and lower edges of the frame and on predetermined walls of the wardrobe or cabinet for pivotally supporting the doors in position. A further object being to provide a freely swinging or hinged member on one Wall of the cabinet for simplifying the attachment of the doors to the cabinet without the use of tools o-r implements of any type or kind, and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a wardrobe or cabinet of the class and for the purpose speciiied which is simple in construction, eiiicient in use, and which is constructed as hereinafter described.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specication of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the several parts of my invention are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the front portion of the wardrobe made according to my invention illustrating parts in a partially assembled position.

Fig. 2' is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, through the pivot of one of the doors, the section being on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is View similar to Fig. 2, the section being substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. ll.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 8.-4 of Fig. 1 showing the doors in closed position.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectie-nal View through the front part of a cabinet with parts of the construction broken away and showing a modication.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional detail view substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In cabinets of the kind under consideration it has been the practice to either construct a door frame in which the doors were mounted on oonventional hinges, or the doors have been made a unit assembled part of a frame, which was shipped as such together with other wall parts of the cabinet for assemblage by the purchaser. These methods of procedure have been objectionable primarily fromA the standpoint of the stressesor strains upon the complete assembled door and door frame unit in the shipment and transportation thereof. These objectionable features I have overcome, and further the assemblage of the cabinet has been simplified,V byv constructing the, cabinet in such a manner that preformed and assembled individual` doors may be readily mountedin the wall structure of the cabinet, by simply providing a freely flexing or hinged wall portion, forming one of the supports for the pivot pins of the doors. In addition to simplifying the customers assemblage of the cabinet, the cost of manufacture ofthe resulting cabinet is materially reduced thus eecting a saving to the customer. Notwithstanding the foregoing accomplishments, a cabinet as produced has all of the required strength and durability, and at the same time a neat and nished appearance is produced in the resulting cabinet.

As the back and side wall structuresof cabinets of paper board or corrugated board construction ancl of the kind under consideration are well known in the art, I have simply illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing the front end portion oi?- theI cabinet and in Fig. l I0 represents the back and side wall part of the cabinet, the side walls being indicated at II, and these side walls include at their forward edgesinturned vertical front wall or flange portions I2. The free edges of these walls are preferably bound with paper or fabric finishing strips I3. At I4 isA shown the top wall part and I 5 thebottom wall part, whereas I5 and Irepresent the two door frames. The top wall part has depending iianges I8 overlying the wall parts it through which the customary fastening devices are passed in the assemblage of the parts, and similar iianges ISare provided on the bottom wall part l5.

The top wall part It has atits forward edge a downwardly extending'wide front wall or iiange portion 2G including foldable side flanges 2| secured to the side walls` II by a fastening device as indicated at 22, note Fig. 2 of the drawing. On the front 0r outer surface of the wall or flange 2l] is secured a finishingv and door supporting strip 23 which extends the full length of the iiange ZUand is disposed at the lower edge thereof. TheV lower surface of this strip is provided adjacent the end portions thereof with pivot pin receivingapertures 2li. Secured to the inner surface of the flange Zoandto the strip 23 at a point intermediate the edges I3 of the wall parts I2 is a stop strip 25 which limits the inward movement of the doors I6 and I1 as will be apparent.

The bottom Wall I5 is provided with an enlarged foldable flange 26 forming a lower front wall portion of the cabinet. The wall portion 26 is secured in assembled position by fastener elements 2'I passing through edge flanges 23 thereof and through the walls II of the cabinet. The upper edge of the wall portion 26 is provided at the outer surface thereof with a strip 29 similar to the strip 23 and having corresponding pintle receiving apertures 33 therein. It will be apparent that, if desired, a stop strip 25a similar to the strip 2li may also be employed on the wall portion 26.

The doors I6 and I'I comprise similar wood strip frames including side rails 3 I, a bottom rail 32, and a top rail 33. The rails are channeled along inner surfaces thereof as seen at 34, in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, to receive a door panel 35. Each door is provided at upper and lower ends thereof, in alignment with one of the side rails 3l, with protruding pivot pins or pintles 35 adapted to register with the apertures 24 and 30 as will be apparent. The pins 36 may be integral with the door frame construction or may constitute insert members fashioned from suitable material. In some instances the doors I6 and I'I may be identical in construction or in other words may be interchangeably used as right or left doors. Where there is any dilerence in a detail of construction or in the finish, as for example of the panel 35, right and left hand doors may be provided having the pivot pin 36 arranged in alignment with apposed side rails thereof. One of the doors, as for example the door I'I, may further be provided with a protruding flange 31 along the free edge thereof, adapted to form a finishing strip bridging the abutting edges of the doors when in closed position.

Arranged within the channels 34 of at least one door, and bearing against the inner surface of the panel 35, is a thin reector or mirror member 38 which may be of glass or other suitable material. A suitable grooved transverse strip 39 is arranged between the side rails 3| of the door to support the mirror in place. The mirror seats in the groove of the strip 39, as seen in Fig. 3.

In assembling the cabinet the top and bottom walls are secured to the side walls II and the lower front wall portion 26 is also secured to the walls Il in the manner previously described, thereby leaving only the upper ange 20 movable. The lower pivot pins 36 of the doors I6 and I'I are then inserted in the apertures 30 of the strip 23. The upper pins 36 of the doors are then brought into registering alignment with the apertures 24 in the strip 26 of the outwardly flexed flange 26 as seen in Fig. 1 in the drawing. When the pins are thus properly aligned the doors and flange are simultaneously pushed inwardly against the front of the cabinet thereby fully engaging the pins 36 with the apertures 24 as seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The fastener elements 22 at apposed sides of the ange 20 are then inserted through the walls I and the cabinet is completely assembled.

It will be noted from consideration of Fig. 3 of the drawing that sufficient clearance is provided in the channel 34 of the top rail 33 to allow upward movement of the panel 35 suiiciently to enter the lower edge of the panel in the channel of the bottom strip 32. The side rails 3l of the doors are cut away as indicated at Sla., note Fig. 1, to permit insertion of the panels 35.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing I have shown a slight modification wherein full length doors 4U are employed rather than the shorter doors shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. With this construction the top wall 4I and the bottom wall 42 of the cabinet, will include forwardly foldable and freely flexing anges 43 and 44 on which are secured strips 45 and 46 similar to the strips 23 and 29. The doors 4I) will be pivoted to these strips in the same manner as the pivotal mounting of the doors I6 and I'I in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The flanges 43 and 44 will also include the side flaps 4l foldable on to the side walls of the cabinet and secured in position by staples or other fastenings 48, note Fig. 6. With this construction it is also preferred that the side flanges 49 of the top and bottom walls 4I and 42 include reinforcing strips 50 of the same Width of the strips 45 and 46 to reinforce the top and bottom portions of the cabinet. The side walls of the cabinet also include the inwardly extending front wall portions 5I similar to the wall parts I2 and in all other respects the construction of Figs. 5 and 6 will be the same as that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

It will be understood that with both forms of construction disclosed suitable fastenings, catch devices or the like will be employed to hold the doors in closed position and such fastenings and other hardware have been omitted as they form no specific part of the present invention.

It will be apparent that the doors of the cabinet may be mounted separately preferably by first attaching the left hand door and then placing the right hand door in position. In this operation the left hand may be used to retain the left door against displacement from the top supporting strip. It will be apparent that the front wall portions I2-5I form flexible flanges which will bear against inner surfaces of the doors, when in closed position, to form a seal at the hinged sides of the doors. In other words, the normal tendency for these flange wall parts is to flex outwardly and this flexure produces the abutment aforesaid.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A collapsible cabinet comprising a main body portion having a front door opening, top and bottom wall parts, said top and bottom Wall parts each having a front wall portion of greater depth than the remainder of said wall parts, said front wall portions terminating at their free edges in reinforcing strips forming horizontal rails bordering the door opening of the cabinet, a door for said cabinet, means on said door and the rails of said front wall portions forming pivotal mountings of the door in connection with the cabinet, at least one of said front wall portions being hingedly supported, said hingedly supported front wall part facilitating mounting of the door on the cabinet, and means for securing said hingedly supported front wall part on the body portion of the cabinet in retaining the door against displacement from the cabinet.

2. A collapsible cabinet comprising a main body portion having a front door opening, top and bottom wall parts, said top and bottom wall parts each having a front wall portion of greater depth than the remainder of said wall parts, said front wall portions terminating at their free edges in reinforcing strips forming horizontal rails bordering the door opening of the cabinet, a door for said cabinet, means on said door and the rails of said front wall portions forming pivotal mountings of the door in connection with the cabinet, at least one of said front Wall portions being hingedly supported, said hingedly supported front Wall part facilitating mounting of the door on the cabinet, means for securing said hingedly supported front Wall part on the body portion of the cabinet in retaining the door against displacement from the cabinet, and the body of the cabinet having a flexible front Wall portion at the pivot side of the door engaging said side of the door when the door is in closed position.

HARRY DERMAN. 

